As strange as this might sound, this story from my visit to the Toyota Automobile Museum in Aichi, Japan is not going to contain a single Toyota. As I touched on in my introductory post about the museum, a fair portion of the enormous facility is dedicated to telling the global history of the automobile, [...]
It all started with a phone call. Back in April when I was planning out a few Speedhunters Dream Drive stories, I called up my friend and regular Alpine pass expert Martin for ideas for the potential routes worth featuring. I remember him vaguely mentioning a petrolhead friend of his, Michael, who owns a Porsche [...]
Vintage USA tin and the Mooneyes Street Car Nationals might go hand-in-hand, but you won’t find one single American-made machine in this first Spotlight-O-Rama from the annual Tokyo event. I’m doing this to emphasize just how diversified Mooneyes events are in Japan, and – where you will at times – come across the most curious [...]
88 laps and 15 hours might not sound right for a 24-hour race, but combine the Nordschliefe and the horrific conditions we’ve had this weekend and it’s a miracle that many were completed… The #9 Black Falcon Mecedes-Benz SLS AMG crossed the line at 5pm to take the three-pointed star’s first win at the Nürburgring [...]
More...
After a hearty breakfast and a last minute dip into the onsen, the second day of the Marronier Run was going to be all about admiration. I headed out to the front of the Hotel nice and early so that I could make full use of the beautiful morning light that was just breaking over [...]
The Marronier Run is probably one of the lesser-known classic car events in Japan. It’s a friendly rally organized by enthusiasts, for enthusiasts and it turned out to be one of the most enjoyable weekends I’ve had in a very long time. We are always on a mission to step outside of our comfort zones [...]
It’s interesting how overtly mainstream brands are now pushing their performance divisions, emphasising their sporting credentials more than ever. You have M Power for BMW, Audi’s quattro GmbH, Nissan’s NISMO and of course Mercedes’ AMG. But unlike most of the other examples, AMG started off as a completely separate company, becoming renowned a Mercedes-Benz stylist [...]
Take examples of almost 75 years’ worth of the classiest, most exotic, fastest and just generally most drop-dead beautiful Mercedes that have been built, and you have the Mercedes-Benz World collection at Brooklands in the UK. Putting age as well as beauty first, I’ll start off in true VIP style with the epitome of chic: [...]
I still walk into main dealerships with apprehension. It’s that feeling of the salespeople looking at you as though you don’t deserve to be there: how could you – you – possibly buy one of my precious cars? The idea of wandering in to simply have a look round, and be welcomed by the staff to [...]
No matter what school of thought you may belong to, the kyusha scene in Japan has been steadily growing in popularity over the last few years. The vastness in which vintage cars are approached in Japan is as diverse and as varied as the culture itself, no matter how you tackle your own build, it will [...]
For this article we’re heading back to Zakspeed Racing in Germany, pioneers of extreme reinterpretations of Ford’s finest during the 1970s such as the awesome Ford Capri Turbo. But Zakspeed’s renown stretched well past that decade and continues right up to the present day. A further connection with Ford in the shape of their sports [...]
What do you remember about the 1980s? What things does that decade make you think of? Were you even born then?! To some people, the decade recalls a new wave of questionable music, terrible fashion crimes, big hair, the rise of MTV and soap operas like Dallas. More seriously there were nuclear meltdowns, ill-thought out [...]
You just can’t hinder passion. It’s always interesting to see how the love of cars has no borders, you can travel to any country around the world and find enthusiasts willing to share their love of cars with you. That is exactly the position Luke Huxham found himself on his recent trip to Thailand where he crossed paths with Mr. A, who has created a very special garage to store his precious vintage car collection and also create a place for his friends to hang out in. Take a look at the impressive line up of machinery…and wheels…he has collected over the years.
-Dino Dalle Carbonare
More...
It’s right back at Daikoku PA now for a final look at the other day’s supercar gathering. During the few hours that I was there I literally never stopped walking around, because as cars left, more kept coming in. By around lunch time the lot was so full that a many were forced to park [...]
It’s not often that I go to Daikoku PA during daytime, but a couple of days ago I made an exception. I’d heard that a lot of supercars and various car clubs would be holding a meeting across a series of parking areas, starting off at Tsuzuki in Yokohama and eventually ending up at the [...]
